I wish that when people like David Tan make their suggestions, they would at least base them on the political reality of the world we live in.

The reality is that all independent nations deem the inviolability of their territorial sovereignty as of paramount importance and defend it jealously. Nations go to war because of them. The war over the Falklands is a case in point.

Singapore would not concede their sovereignty over a tiny rocky island called Pedra Branca. To suggest that Thailand should grant independence to four southern provinces because some misguided youths went on a burning and killing spree is ludicrous.

To suggest that Thailand should do this out of magnanimity is a fantasy straight out of locally- produced historical dramas.

To rationalise this flight of fantasy with loose interpretation of history and then go on a tangent to further surmise that a state formed in such a manner will contribute to the growth and prosperity of Asean is pure poppycock.

Statements like: 'Thailand should refrain from committing violation of human rights such as murdering unarmed villagers' is offensive because it is mere expression of the writer's personal prejudice.

He has not accord the Thais due consideration and insinuates with no basis that they have violated human rights. The attackers killed were armed with machetes and guns. They may be outgunned by the soldiers but they were definitely not unarmed.

Thus far, no group has owned up to the violent disturbances in southern Thailand. There is no indication that separatism is the main factor behind the recent violence. From foreign news reports, religious extremism is the main cause of these deadly attacks.

Some reports speculated that the recent militancy of religious activists there is linked to the al-Qaeda network. If this is so, then the aim of these terrorists is the setting up of an Islamic superstate covering Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the southern Phillippines and southern Thailand. Any separatist sentiment is peripheral and is exploited to achieve this main aim.

Since early 2002, there has been a consistent increase in acts of violence against Thai policemen and government officials. The terrorists became increasingly audacious and on Jan 4 this year, 50 militants raided a Thai army base in Narathiwat.

They fled with 330 M16 rifles, two M60 grenade launchers and seven rocket-propelled grenades from the armoury. Four soldiers were killed during the raid. At the same time, 20 schools in the same province were set on fire as a diversion.

It was reported that in that raid on the Thai army base, the 50 militants rounded up all the soldiers. They separated the Muslims from the non-Muslim soldiers. As the captured soldiers looked on, the raiders butchered four non-Muslim soldiers. They shot two of them and slit the throats of the other two.

Sporadic killings continued after the raid. Later that month, two men slit the throat of a 64-year- old monk as he was returning from his early morning alms-begging rounds. Two days later, three more monks were attacked. They include a 13-year-old novice who was slashed on the head.

It is estimated that more than 100 people have been killed since the start of the violence in southern Thailand over the last two years.

The shooting incident on April 28 is the culmination of a resurgence of terrorist activities. The militants had intended to kill, burn and steal guns as they had done before. Except this time the Thai army was ready for them.

I believe that the primary and immediate objective of these cold-blooded killings by the militants is to create the conditions for sectarian strife in southern Thailand.

So let us not try to paint the militants in pastel colours just because they professed certain religious affiliation. The militants may be misguided but the results of their action is no less fatal to innocent victims.